The spokesperson of the command, CSP Moses Yamu, who disclosed this in a statement on Monday, March 17, 2025, said the suspects are members of an eight-man gang that abducted one Sunday Ajibola and his mother-in-law in Auchi.
“On 16/03/2025 at about 2210hrs, operatives of the Auchi Division, in collaboration with the Vigilante on routine stop and search at UBA junction Auchi, intercepted two (2) young men,” the statement read.
“The young men who took to their heels on sighting the Police were given a hot chase, and one Adamu Usman of Hausa Quarters was arrested while his accomplice escaped.
“On the spot search led to the recovery of a cash sum of one million, three hundred and forty-five thousand, one hundred naira (#1,345,100) believed to be proceeds of kidnapping, five (5) micro sim cards, one machete, one dagger, two (2) phones and a pack of cigarettes.
“During preliminary investigation, two (2) additional suspects namely Iliyasu Abubakar 19yrs and Safiyanu Mohammed, 20yrs were arrested, while one of the sim cards was discovered to belong to one Ajibola Sunday of Igbirra camp in Auchi.
“When Ajibola Sunday was contacted and invited to the station, he identified the suspect as being part of the Eight ( man gang that kidnapped him and his mother-in-law on 11/03/2025 and their relations had to part with the sum of ten million naira (#10,000,000) to secure their release.
“The Commissioner of Police Edo State Police Command CP Betty Enekpen Isokpan Otimenyin, psc, mnips, wishes to assure the public of the Command’s commitment to protecting lives and property, and to bringing perpetrators of crime to justice.”
